Justice Department deletes database tracking federal police misconduct

Source: Washington Post

L Crime & Public Safety
Justice Department deletes database tracking federal police misconduct

Trump executive order ends National Law Enforcement Accountability Database, which he proposed creating in 2020.

February 20, 2025 at 5:49 p.m


Protesters march in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 2020, days after the police killing of George Floyd. The killing launched a move toward police accountability by both President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden, but now Trump has removed an accountability database. (John Minchillo/AP)

By Tom Jackman and Elizabeth Dwoskin

The first nationwide database tracking misconduct by federal police officers has been shut down by President Donald Trump, the Justice Department confirmed, deleting a resource that experts said improved public safety by helping to prevent bad cops from jumping to new agencies and starting over with clean records.

The database was first proposed by Trump in 2020 in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd. But it wasn't created until two years later when an executive order from President Joe Biden launched the National Law Enforcement Accountability Database. Trump issued an order last month revoking Biden's orders, and the database.

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By Tom Jackman
Tom Jackman has been covering criminal justice for The Washington Post since 1998 and anchors the True Crime blog. He previously covered crime and courts for the Kansas City Star.follow on X@TomJackmanWP

By Elizabeth Dwoskin
Lizza joined The Washington Post as Silicon Valley correspondent in 2016, becoming the paper's eyes and ears in the region. She focuses on social media and the power of the tech industry in a democratic society. Before that, she was the Wall Street Journal's first full-time beat reporter covering AI and the impact of algorithms on people's lives. follow on X@lizzadwoskin

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/02/20/trump-justice-nlead-database-deleted/

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Hat tip, Popehat

Reposted by Domestic Enemy Hat
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Chiraag Bains‬ ‪@chiraagbains.bsky.social‬
·
52m
This is absurd. We built this database to stop officers who commit misconduct at one police agency from being rehired at another. It's about transparency and safety -- it helps the hiring agencies and the public. With due process protections.

Trump shut it down

This is absurd. We built this database to stop officers who commit misconduct at one police agency from being rehired at another. It's about transparency and safety -- it helps the hiring agencies and the public. With due process protections.

Trump shut it down

— Chiraag Bains (@chiraagbains.bsky.social) 2025-02-21T00:08:44.339Z